I'm Reading Your Stuff: General News and Discussion Thread

[SwordOfMorning]

Gotta be Catwoman. Unless it’s not seen as necessary because the plan is her to continue being a near deutertagonist in each film.

 

[ENCK]

I'm honestly back and forth on whether or not I think Reeves will bring Robin into the fold. If the films are meant to be from Bruce's POV, it would make sense to keep this as a solo venture.

Not happening.

Reeves said the focus is on Batman not so much the villians. Makes no sense with that gameplay to introduce a sidekick. Plus we are getting that with brave and bold

 

[AndyTrevino]

Gotta be Catwoman. Unless it’s not seen as necessary because the plan is her to continue being a near deutertagonist in each film.

It's also possible Zoe wants to continue pursuing her own filmmaking endeavors, much as I'd like for her to be able to do both.

 

[ENCK]

Doub

Gotta be Catwoman. Unless it’s not seen as necessary because the plan is her to continue being a near deutertagonist in each film.

Doubtful.

She doesn’t have the power to carry a whole movie alone as a villlian.

Ozz Cobb (penguin) who shares last name with William cobb (talon ) court of owls is dick Grayson grandfather. They are either going the court of owls route or the two other routes reeves said. Countless times he said the clues are in the first film .

So it’s either hush or joker and perhaps freeze since it is a reeves fave… and the winter theme

 

[AndyTrevino]

Doubtful.

She doesn’t have the power to carry a whole movie alone as a villlian.

She's not even really much of a villain though, and she has enough working against her to make you root for her as a protagonist. You could even bring in someone like Sionis as the main villain.

 

[SwordOfMorning]

Doub

Doubtful.

She doesn’t have the power to carry a whole movie alone as a villlian.

Ozz Cobb (penguin) who shares last name with William cobb (talon ) court of owls is dick Grayson grandfather. They are either going the court of owls route or the two other routes reeves said. Countless times he said the clues are in the first film .

So it’s either hush or joker and perhaps freeze since it is a reeves fave… and the winter theme

Deutertagonist means co-protagonist. Selina is straight up not a villain, and of all the supporting cast she pretty handily could sustain her own story the best.

 

[SwordOfMorning]

It's also possible Zoe wants to continue pursuing her own filmmaking endeavors, much as I'd like for her to be able to do both.

I’m sure it won’t happen but it’d be sooooo fun for her to direct her own Catwoman project.

 

[Mindreaper21]

I’d be down to see a Catwoman series that more so takes place in Italy that involves Sofia, Black Mask and Red Claw.

 

[solidsnake86]

HBO said they only wanted marquee villains. So to me, it would really only be between Catwoman and Joker as the top two in terms of brand name appeal. Depending on who is cast as dent, maybe he could get a series or be a part of the penguin season 2 of they go down that road.

In the fall of 2022 and into 2023 there were way more rumours about expanding the batman universe. All that died down.

 

[SwordOfMorning]

HBO said they only wanted marquee villains. So to me, it would really only be between Catwoman and Joker as the top two in terms of brand name appeal. Depending on who is cast as dent, maybe he could get a series or be a part of the penguin season 2 of they go down that road.

In the fall of 2022 and into 2023 there were way more rumours about expanding the batman universe. All that died down.

Streaming is a rotting corpse. Not surprising at all there’s very limited appetite for spinoffs, we’re already in a very different Moment than when WB wanted Reeves to make them a million shows for Max.

 

[BobJM]

I’d be down to see a Catwoman series that that more so takes place in Italy that involves Sofia, Black Mask and Red Claw.

Sign me up.

My pitch for a Catwoman series was always something like Selina finds out from Holly that young girls are going missing from Gotham’s East End but the cops aren’t doing anything so Catwoman steps in, uncovering a trafficking operation run by Black Mask with Mad Hatter

 

[Johnny Frost]

Not happening.

Reeves said the focus is on Batman not so much the villians. Makes no sense with that gameplay to introduce a sidekick. Plus we are getting that with brave and bold

Reeves wants the emotional focus to be Bruce, if anything a character like Dick Grayson would make perfect sense for this Bruce Wayne's arc.

It's not unlike how Reeves used Nova in War as part of Caesar's emotional journey.

 

[WayneMB]

currently leaning towards robin, dent, hush, clayface appearing.

 

[BobJM]

Pretty sure they said pieces of Part II were reworked into Penguin early on so maybe this could open with Batman responding to his ascension.

Could easily see Penguin hosting some sort of event with other mobsters and suits, maybe a notable villain or two, and they get interrupted by Batman with this:

Just rewatched The Penguin. I’d love Pt. II to kick off with Batman gunning for Oz post-takeover. A moody montage like the first film’s intro, but with Batman hunting leads, zeroing in on Penguin. All building to that Year One scene with Batman threatening him at a lavish gathering in his Oz’s new penthouse.

Thus kicking us into the plot of the film— Oz Cobb and Gotham’s corrupt wealthy elite (including Rupert Thorne and one Lincoln March, who may be more than he seems) decide to handle the Batman before he becomes bad for business.

An imposter dressed as Batman starts killing people, turning the city against him. Under political pressure, mostly from Councilman Hady, Mayor Bella Real reluctantly charges her anti-corruption taskforce, led by new DA Harvey Dent, to stop the vigilante and anyone aiding him—putting Captain Jim Gordon in hot water at the GCPD and testing the limits of his partnership with the Bat.

As Batman works to stop the imposter, bring down Oz, and clear his name, he’s hunted by the task force’s top detective, Blair Wong. But the deeper she digs, the more she clashes with her partner—Sgt. Max Cort.

You can blend Prey, The Court of Owls, and The Imposter into a single narrative—delivering general audiences a fresh story with new villains, while keeping longtime comic fans on edge with red herring characters (like Dent was in the original Hush storyline).

Who is the Imposter? Lincoln March, Max Cort, or Harvey Dent? Maybe it’s Blair Wong, who has a tragic past like Bruce. By the end, it almost doesn’t matter. Whoever it is, by Act III, they lose themselves in the persona; driven power-mad by the thrill. They shed the Bat suit for something new—drawing from anti-Batman characters like Hush, Talon, Night Scourge, Arkham Knight, Anarky, Owlman, Phantasm, or even Azrael, if there you want to introduce a religious bent. And Batman saves the day.

There’s also room for new supporting characters, like Leslie Thompkins and Otis Flannegan (Ratcatcher), similar to their roles in The Imposter. Bruce and Blair’s arc could track closely to that comic as well. You could even pull Selina Kyle back into the mix—Oz puts a target on her, and she ends up attacked by the Imposter. Keeps her role small, like in Prey when Night Scourge goes after her.

Arnold Wesker also has a small but pivotal role in Bruce’s therapy journey with Leslie from The Imposter too that would really be rewarding to see on screen for this version of the character.

We know Reeves isn’t afraid to deliver us a long film; and they do keep calling it epic. Give us an epic runtime.

 

[emielaen]

Just rewatched The Penguin. I’d love Pt. II to kick off with Batman gunning for Oz post-takeover. A moody montage like the first film’s intro, but with Batman hunting leads, zeroing in on Penguin. All building to that Year One scene with Batman threatening him at a lavish gathering in his Oz’s new penthouse.

Thus kicking us into the plot of the film— Oz Cobb and Gotham’s corrupt wealthy elite (including Rupert Thorne and one Lincoln March, who may be more than he seems) decide to handle the Batman before he becomes bad for business.

An imposter dressed as Batman starts killing people, turning the city against him. Under political pressure, mostly from Councilman Hady, Mayor Bella Real reluctantly charges her anti-corruption taskforce, led by new DA Harvey Dent, to stop the vigilante and anyone aiding him—putting Captain Jim Gordon in hot water at the GCPD and testing the limits of his partnership with the Bat.

As Batman works to stop the imposter, bring down Oz, and clear his name, he’s hunted by the task force’s top detective, Blair Wong. But the deeper she digs, the more she clashes with her partner—Sgt. Max Cort.

You can blend Prey, The Court of Owls, and The Imposter into a single narrative—delivering general audiences a fresh story with new villains, while keeping longtime comic fans on edge with red herring characters (like Dent was in the original Hush storyline).

Who is the Imposter? By the end, it almost doesn’t matter. Whoever it is, they lose themselves in the persona; driven power-mad by the thrill. They shed the Bat suit for something new—drawing from anti-Batman characters like Hush, Talon, Night Scourge, Arkham Knight, Anarky, Owlman, or even Azrael, if there you want to introduce a religious bent.

There’s also room for new supporting characters, like Leslie Thompkins and Otis Flannegan (Ratcatcher), similar to their roles in The Imposter. Bruce and Blair’s arc could track closely to that comic as well. You could even pull Selina Kyle back into the mix—Oz puts a target on her, and she ends up attacked by the Imposter. Keeps her role small, like in Prey when Night Scourge goes after her.

Arnold Wesker also has a small but pivotal role in Bruce’s therapy journey with Leslie from The Imposter too that would really be rewarding to see on screen for this version of the character.

We know Reeves isn’t afraid to deliver us a long film; and they do keep calling it epic. Give us an epic runtime.

Paralleling the opening with another montage/voice-over detailing the weeks or months after (or whichever they decided with the timeline) would be a pretty cool way to put us right back into that subjective mindset of following Bruce as he hunts down Oz. Still using fear and the shadows in that imagery from Year One to send a message can also work in a layered way to show how he still needs to be feared in order to do his job, but also not leaning too far into the vengeance moniker to back it.

Considering the first film dealt with masks/iconography being used in these nefarious ways that Bruce didn't forsee as he went on his mission, someone mimicking him could really test his mindset and his mission, but I do wonder if it maybe a bit of a rehash in some ways. Riddler was empowered by the mask. Would the imposters be too, or are they deliberately using it to get at Batman? Depends on how they handle whatever reveal that maybe. I haven't read The Imposter yet so maybe that is what's covered in Tomlin's book.

I do like Safdie as Dent though. Don't know if I've seen that one yet.

 

[BobJM]

Paralleling the opening with another montage/voice-over detailing the weeks or months after (or whichever they decided with the timeline) would be a pretty cool way to put us right back into that subjective mindset of following Bruce as he hunts down Oz. Still using fear and the shadows in that imagery from Year One to send a message can also work in a layered way to show how he still needs to be feared in order to do his job, but also not leaning too far into the vengeance moniker to back it.

Considering the first film dealt with masks/iconography being used in these nefarious ways that Bruce didn't forsee as he went on his mission, someone mimicking him could really test his mindset and his mission, but I do wonder if it maybe a bit of a rehash in some ways. Riddler was empowered by the mask. Would the imposters be too, or are they deliberately using it to get at Batman? Depends on how they handle whatever reveal that maybe. I haven't read The Imposter yet so maybe that is what's covered in Tomlin's book.

I do like Safdie as Dent though. Don't know if I've seen that one yet.

Putting in spoilers since this story is newer & lesser known, but in The Imposter, it’s revealed that it’s an officer on the GCPD. He’s murdering criminals who were released after Gordon & Batman exposed a group of corrupt judges and had their sentencings overturn. Which is somewhat similar to Prey, where Max Cort, another GCPD officer, becomes Night Scourge after being darkly inspired by Batman & the public’s adoration for him

The Imposter is great though; I’d definitely recommend. A quick 3-issue mini from Matt Tomlinson that looks & feels in-universe:

 

[Black Narcissus]

Catwoman series please!

 

[AndyTrevino]

currently leaning towards robin, dent, hush, clayface appearing.

Clayface is the only one that sadly feels like a straight-up "Not Happening".

 

[SwordOfMorning]

Clayface is a near 0%er, sadly.

 

[Mindreaper21]

I still feel like Eve is meant to be the Clayface of this universe. Her playing roles for hire and “shapeshifting” by using wigs and makeup makes sense.

 

[J.Drangal]

I still feel like Eve is meant to be the Clayface of this universe. Her playing roles for hire and “shapeshifting” by using wigs and makeup makes sense.

Honestly, I don’t know. I understand that there’s the nature of the disguise and the shared name… But what kind of creator would take such a rich character as Clayface, with interpretations ranging from a muddy monster who can change shape to the delightfully theatrical 'Phantom of the Opera' hiding in a mall, and turn it into… a woman wearing wigs?
Unless there’s some major evolution ahead (but I doubt the season will have a follow-up or that Reeves truly has plans for this Eve character), I still think it’s just a very small, and imo pointless, nod.

 

[Mindreaper21]

Honestly, I don’t know. I understand that there’s the nature of the disguise and the shared name… But what kind of creator would take such a rich character as Clayface, with interpretations ranging from a muddy monster who can change shape to the delightfully theatrical 'Phantom of the Opera' hiding in a mall, and turn it into… a woman wearing wigs?
Unless there’s some major evolution ahead (but I doubt the season will have a follow-up or that Reeves truly has plans for this Eve character), I still think it’s just a very small, and imo pointless, nod.

Well, the whole actress and disguise part wasn’t really revealed until the last 2 episodes. I still feel as if her character is shrouded in mystery. Maybe she has a small part in the next film where she wears masks to do side work for Penguin.

I don’t really see it as a pointless nod, because we’re still very much in the beginning of the story Matt is trying to tell. I’d also get it if he didn’t want any major reveals before the second film.

Matt is extremely meticulous, so it’s a bit hard for me to believe that he would give Eve the last name Karlo if it wasn’t intentional. Even the small scene with the Elliot bridge was intentional.

 

[Johnny Frost]

Clayface is the only one that sadly feels like a straight-up "Not Happening".

I know there's a Clayface movie in the DCU, but I still find it odd that Deadline reported twice that they heard the character would be in Part II. Some people think they got confused because of Reeves' involvement with the DCU movie, but they seemed pretty sure that Clayface was a "big addition" to the script, so who knows.

There's an interview with Reeves that makes me think there might be some truth to this.

 

[solidsnake86]

^ I do agree, it is odd that they mentioned it as a big addition. Although, isn't the dcu clayface based on Matt Hagen? Reeves could use Basil Karlo or he could've opted against it.

Admittedly though, you would question what the rush is for the dcu to make a clayface movie as it's third film if the intention was for Reeves to use clayface as it's villain.

 

[SwordOfMorning]

They’re doing a Clayface movie independent of the Saga and we’ve already established Reevesverse Karlo is Penguin’s sex worker GF (amazing sentence). It’s just not happening. Regardless of what they say I’m sure there’s a certain amount of traffic co-ordination between the two creative camps and Eve is clearly their cute little almost in jokey Clayface take.